What happens when your career, finances, and personal life all collapse at once? In this powerful episode of the Career Evolved Podcast, Olivia Gamber sits down with Jess Baillie, a product design leader at Ford, to unpack what it really takes to rebuild your life and leadership identity after hitting financial rock bottom. Jess shares his raw and honest journey through job loss, divorce, depleted savings, business pressure, and the emotional weight of uncertainty. At a moment when many professionals freeze or spiral, Jess chose a different path. He invested in himself not from abundance, but from belief. This conversation goes far beyond job searching. It dives deep into executive mindset, identity, emotional regulation, and how leaders can stay grounded and confident even when fear, scarcity, and self doubt are loud. Jess breaks down the daily rituals, mindfulness practices, and internal shifts that helped him regain clarity, rebuild confidence, and step back into executive presence during one of the toughest job markets in a decade. You’ll hear insights on: • How to maintain executive presence after job loss • Why investing in yourself before you feel “ready” changes everything • The danger of showing up to interviews from neediness instead of value • How gratitude and daily rituals stabilize your nervous system • Why your title never defines your worth or leadership capacity • Reframing fear, anger, and sadness without suppressing them • Standing in confidence after rejection or being fired • Creating demand in your career by changing your internal state Jess also shares a powerful full circle moment where he encounters the same executive who once fired him and how choosing alignment, calm, and confidence completely rewrote the dynamic. This episode is for: • Executives navigating layoffs or career disruption • Leaders questioning their identity after job loss • Professionals stuck in a long, draining job search • High performers rebuilding confidence after financial stress • Anyone ready to reclaim leadership power from the inside out If you’re in a season where everything feels uncertain, this conversation is proof that clarity, confidence, and momentum can be rebuilt from within. 🎧 Listen to the full episode of the Career Evolved Podcast here: https://www.careerevolved.com/the-olivia-gamber-podcast 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, mindset, career strategy, and executive evolution. #careerevolvedpodcast #careerevolved #executiveleadership #leadershipmindset #careertransformation #jobsearchstrategy #executivepresence #mindsetmatters #resilience #abundancemindset #careergrowth #leadershipdevelopment #professionalgrowth #careerstrategy
